Speech-language therapists supporting foundation-phase teachers with literacy and numeracy in a rural and township context

Abstract:

Language is required for learning, but educators often find it difficult to facilitate listening and language skills while they have to adapt to a new
national curriculum with an outcomes-based approach for which they have not necessarily been adequately trained. A multifaceted support
programme was developed for foundation-phase educators to facilitate listening and language for literacy and numeracy, with a particular focus
on language for numeracy. The aim of the research was to determine the value of this particular support programme for foundation-phase educators
in two different contexts (a semi-rural and a township context). A mixed methods approach with a concurrent, equal status triangulation
design was used, where qualitative data were transformed to quantitative data in order to be compared in a matrix. The results show that the
participants benefited to varying degrees from the programme. The combination of workshops, practical and mentoring components proved to
be an effective means of support. The results indicate a need for pre-training selection procedures as more effective support can be provided to
homogeneous groups.